How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
Aug 24th 2009, 10:29 pm
#61
Peace Frog
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Location: South London orginally from Manchester
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Aug 24th 2009, 10:45 pm
#62
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Location: Angle vale Sth Australia
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Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
mm
Aug 24th 2009, 11:00 pm
#63
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Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
Most of the pubs in the Adelaide hills,have large fire places and no pokies, also the Barossa valley pubs have huge fire places, this generally due to these areas having been settled by germans, in the mid 1800s.....you can sit by the fire with a glass of Gluewien and a hot Knocwurst.........wundabar...mm
mm
Aug 24th 2009, 11:50 pm
#64
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Location: Western burbs, Melbourne
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Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
Anyway I digress. Concrete slab with underfloor heating- kept at a moderate but constant 18deg, cost about 300bucks per quarter.
Now we live in a weatherboard, and have a Rinnai gas heater which does not blast out hot air, but is gentle and circulates gradually. Plumber husband researched it and found it was most efficient for our house.
Aug 24th 2009, 11:55 pm
#65
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Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
[QUOTE=iamthecreaturefromuranus;7873269]Well it won't have improved any... the pokie machine rules all. There is still the odd pub dotted about, couple of half decent ones in Berry, not too far from me, but they are the exception.
Wierd, isn't it? I was sat next to an aussie couple coming back from Dubai and as soon as the pilot finished speaking and the TVs came back on they immediately started playing poker on theirs. They didn't speak to each other for 2.5 hours (perhaps they'd had a row?!). I got chatting to them after a while and they were really lovely. Takes all sorts, I guess.
Sorry to go off-topic.
Anyway, when we stayed in Melbourne we rented an apartment that had that bloody reverse-air thing. Our bed was right next to one so we were blasted in the face with warm air every morning. I could feel the moisture being drained from my face. Bloody awful.
Wierd, isn't it? I was sat next to an aussie couple coming back from Dubai and as soon as the pilot finished speaking and the TVs came back on they immediately started playing poker on theirs. They didn't speak to each other for 2.5 hours (perhaps they'd had a row?!). I got chatting to them after a while and they were really lovely. Takes all sorts, I guess.
Sorry to go off-topic.
Anyway, when we stayed in Melbourne we rented an apartment that had that bloody reverse-air thing. Our bed was right next to one so we were blasted in the face with warm air every morning. I could feel the moisture being drained from my face. Bloody awful.
Aug 25th 2009, 2:46 am
#66
(^v^)
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Location: North East Tasmania
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Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
we have heat pumps in Tas
Aug 25th 2009, 3:06 am
#68
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Posts: 1,872
Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
[QUOTE=Lorrielou;7873490]
yeah know where you're coming from with the reverse cycle thing!On the pub subject though,when I left SA 10 years ago,I don't think any of the pubs had pokies!When we were back in May this year practically every pub we went into had those pokies machines!Personally I dislike them.I thought people went to the pub to be sociable?I thought it looked rather sad.One hotel we stayed in,we had a late breakfast (11am)and we happened to glance over at the pokie section which was next to the dining room.There must of been atleast half a dozen oldies,sat with their beer's pulling the one armed bandits?Pretty depressing if you ask me.
Well it won't have improved any... the pokie machine rules all. There is still the odd pub dotted about, couple of half decent ones in Berry, not too far from me, but they are the exception.
Wierd, isn't it? I was sat next to an aussie couple coming back from Dubai and as soon as the pilot finished speaking and the TVs came back on they immediately started playing poker on theirs. They didn't speak to each other for 2.5 hours (perhaps they'd had a row?!). I got chatting to them after a while and they were really lovely. Takes all sorts, I guess.
Sorry to go off-topic.
Anyway, when we stayed in Melbourne we rented an apartment that had that bloody reverse-air thing. Our bed was right next to one so we were blasted in the face with warm air every morning. I could feel the moisture being drained from my face. Bloody awful.
Wierd, isn't it? I was sat next to an aussie couple coming back from Dubai and as soon as the pilot finished speaking and the TVs came back on they immediately started playing poker on theirs. They didn't speak to each other for 2.5 hours (perhaps they'd had a row?!). I got chatting to them after a while and they were really lovely. Takes all sorts, I guess.
Sorry to go off-topic.
Anyway, when we stayed in Melbourne we rented an apartment that had that bloody reverse-air thing. Our bed was right next to one so we were blasted in the face with warm air every morning. I could feel the moisture being drained from my face. Bloody awful.
Aug 25th 2009, 7:28 am
#69
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Joined: Dec 2008
Location: Brisbane, QLD. (Though an Ulster girl through and through!)
Posts: 6,578
Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
Flip me I don't know about the rest of you who are unfortunate enough to still be in the UK...but is it just me, or is it starting to get bl**dy cold already? The nights are fairly drawing in as usual for this time of year, but I'm sitting here in my (the OH's) big bulky hoody and my North Face duck feather filled slippers and I'm still freezing! BRRRRRRRRRRR 
Aug 25th 2009, 7:37 am
#70
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Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
Still sunny, warm & dry in Kent! Bring it on!
TD
TD
Aug 25th 2009, 7:43 am
#71
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Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
We know people who have underfloor heating & it's friggin expensive (theirs is around $1000pm 
) .... largely because the houses are built for summer therefore poor insulation (specially so with the older homes) and all the heat escapes. So to warm the place, it means keeping the heating on constantly else you lose the benefit of gradual build-up of heat. Doesn't help they have a large house, old-ish, open plan rooms, and you can feel gales blow through the house it's so poorly fitted.
Sort out the insulation - slowly they're understanding that double glazed windows have benefit, and better insulation for walls & ceilings. I think this is probably one of the most important things to check out when you buy a place, otherwise heating can cost a fortune.
) .... largely because the houses are built for summer therefore poor insulation (specially so with the older homes) and all the heat escapes. So to warm the place, it means keeping the heating on constantly else you lose the benefit of gradual build-up of heat. Doesn't help they have a large house, old-ish, open plan rooms, and you can feel gales blow through the house it's so poorly fitted.Sort out the insulation - slowly they're understanding that double glazed windows have benefit, and better insulation for walls & ceilings. I think this is probably one of the most important things to check out when you buy a place, otherwise heating can cost a fortune.
We just recently brought a 4 year old townhouse in Brisbane as an investment. Not one piece of insulation is in the loft. We are getting the loft insulated next week before the heat of summer arrives. The townhouse has two reverse cycle A/C units so that should be good for summer.
Aug 25th 2009, 8:35 am
#72
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Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 257
Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
SJ Oldfield on BE very kindly lent me her gas fire for the winter.
Its been brilliant and made a huge difference to us so we will look to buy one for next year.
Our gas bill has been $133 for this recent one, the fire has been on constantly so that is quite reasonable.
Dont underestimate how cold it gets here, you could hang your coats on your nipples here in the winter.
Its been brilliant and made a huge difference to us so we will look to buy one for next year.
Our gas bill has been $133 for this recent one, the fire has been on constantly so that is quite reasonable.
Dont underestimate how cold it gets here, you could hang your coats on your nipples here in the winter.
Aug 25th 2009, 3:53 pm
#73
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 131
Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
I couldn't believe their bill myself, till they showed it to me
Aug 25th 2009, 3:54 pm
#74
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 131
Re: How do you heat aussie homes in winter?
We have in slab heating and it is fantastic. Our wood stove heats up a seperate watertank in the loft. The water is then pumped through pipework in the slab. We have slate floor in the family room & dining room and tiles in the bathroom, they get lovely and warm. We also use the wood stove top for cooking on and use the stove oven for roasts. Not bad economy when we are using only one heat source.
